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In what may be the biggest upset in the history of the NCAA Women's College Basketball Tournament, Louisville defeats #1 in the nation Baylor 82-81. Monique Reid's two free throws with 2.6 seconds left after a foul by Brittney Griner gave the Cards the lead for good in a game that will go down as a classic in NCAA Tournament play. The Cards survive and advance after watching a 17 point lead shrink in the final 7 1/2 minutes of action. Baylor's 32 game win streak dies. A lot of brackets do, as well...

Cards 16 for 25 from the three point arc. Three starters on the bench fouled out. A technical on Coach Walz that drew the Bears within two. The game had drama, intrigue, rage and finally...a happy ending for UofL. They shocked the world.

Megan Deines put the Cards put 80-76 after the technical but Odyssey Sims, who finished with 29 points, drilled a three with 36 seconds left to make it 80-79. A steal of Louisville's inbounds pass resulted in a foul and Sims hit two free throws to give Baylor their first lead of the game with 9.1 seconds left. That set the stage for Reid's drive to the hoop and the resulting foul on Griner, who had 14 points.

Yes, it was a foul...Kim Mulkey. Griner hammered Mo with the body. I hope they do fine you. You were at the other end of the court. You're asking media what they thought?

Incredible, unbelieveable and remarkable. It's survive and advance this time of year. The Cards pulled it off. You knew the Bears would make a run and they did...but the University of Louisville held them off. With three starters on the bench.

Cardinal Spirit, you are alive and very well.

-Paulie

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BRACKET CHALLENGE UPDATE

(Standings through Sunday night action)

49-7

Keith B.

47-9

Jeff McAdams

46-10

Curtis F.

Steve O.

Nell J.

It's pretty much over for the rest of us. Keith does have a final four pick set of Baylor, California, Norte Dame and Connecticut. Has Baylor and Notre Dame advancing to the title game and Notre Dame winning.

Jeff has Baylor, California, Notre Dame and UConn advancing with Baylor facing UConn in the final and Baylor winning.

Steve O. did pick Louisville to beat Baylor and has a final four of Louisville, Cal, Notre Dame and UK. He has California facing Notre Dame in the final, the Irish winning.

Out of all the entries, only Steve O. and Sonja had Louisville winning over Baylor. Ever the optimist, Sonja has Louisville defeating Notre Dame in the final game. At 33-23, her bracket is way behind the leaders, but she did have Louisville...

And, so...it had come down to this. The University of Louisville women's basketball team is in Oklahoma City. Their opponent in tonight's 7 p.m. game on ESPN2 is the #1 team in the tournament, the nation, in all of women's college basketball -- the Baylor Bears. Is it unfair that the Cardinals are faced with such a monumental task after two nice wins earlier in the tournament? Not really. To be the best, you have to beat the best. Out of the sixteen teams that made it this far...there are no pushovers. Some fans have argued that an opponent like Penn State, Kansas or Nebraska might have made a more suitable and winnable game to prolong the UofL season. The bottom line is this:

Eventually, you're going to be tested by someone who have been a better team than you. Whether it be in the regional opener, regioal final, Final Four or National Title game...your "Goliath" will eventually stand in front of you. Look at this #5 seed. Colorado. A team that bested Louisville earlier in the year (minus Sara Hammond). Their opening game against #12 Kansas looked to be a easy advancement. Guess what? The Buffs lost. Kansas advances.Fifth seeded Michigan State in the Bridgeport Region skated by Marist before falling to #4 Maryland. Iowa State, another five seed knocked off Gonzaga before falling to four seed Georgia. Speaking of Georgia, Andy Landers' Bulldogs pulled off the shocker of the tournament so far by upsetting Stanford last night. A #4 over a #1. Louisville is the only #5 left. The UK WBB squad rolls into the Elite Eight by downing Delaware and Della Donne. UConn handled Maryland and #2 California is making Nikki Caldwell look like a genius by topping PSU.

When in comes to facing Baylor, Jeff Walz sees it this way:"I've told our kids that if you come out and play scared, it's not going to matter. So we're going to try to come out and attack." No fear of Griner, of Sims, of Madden. Pope or Mulkey. Who's afraid of the big, bad Bears? Hopefully, not UofL. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>><<><><><><><><><><>

If you showed up late to the Louisville softball game Saturday, you missed the fireworks. Not the sky-exploding, multi-colored missles...just the high-powered, fence rattling Louisville bats. The Cards pounded Syracuse early. In the bottom of the first, Sandy Pearsall's crew laid a half dozen runs on 'Cuse pitcher Lindsay Taylor. Katie Keller singled to start the game. Jordan Trimble drew a walk. Maggie Ruckenbrod's single plated Keller. Taner Fowler cleared the bases of Cards with a three-run homer to left. Kayla Soles singled and came home on a Whitney Arion single. Jasmine Smithson-Willett (WOO! HOO!) singled and Keller, batting for the second time in the inning, singled again to score Arion. 6-0 Cards before the clock struck 12:30. Louisville added two more in the home half of the second. After Alicja Wolny was plunked by Taylor, Fowler unleashed a bomb to left for her second base-cleaner and the score was 8-0.The Cards tacked on one more in the third. JSW got her second single of the game, advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on a Trimble single. Meanwhile, Caralisa Connell was "good Carl" in the pitching circle. The Orange touched her for just one hit in five innings. She struck out six in going to 18-2 on the season. "We had another great performance from Caralisa Connell and some timely defense and great catches out there. Chrisanna Roberts had a great diving catch in right field late in the game. Taner Fowler has truly found her rhythm again. She was struggling early in the season, but what better time than right now, as we're going into conference play, this is what we want to see from her." --Sandy Pearsall, UofL head softball coach.The Cards (28-6, 2-1) step out of BIG EAST play to host arch-rival Kentucky on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Ulmer Stadium. Let's fill the seats and pack the grassy knoll for this one, Cardinal fans! <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

We wish a Happy Easter to all our CARDINAL COUPLE readers. Whether it's attending church services, holding an Easter Egg Hunt, sitting down to a scrumptious Easter dinner or just relaxing and enjoying time with family or friends...we hope it's a day of rest and reflection for you.Don't get too stuffed and fall asleep early -- the men's basketball team plays at 5:00 p.m. against Duke and the ladies follow at 7:00 p.m. And after that, it's the season-ending episode of AMC's critically acclaimed The Walking Dead at 9 p.m. Blue Devils, Bears, and Zombies...oh my! --Paulie
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Saturday, March 30, 2013

I guess it's only fitting that we'd see a "good Carl" on Good Friday at Ulmer Stadium...Connell dominated the Syracuse softball team in the first game 8-1 The junior had 11 strikeouts in the win and allowed just two hits. Louisville lambasted the Orange with two homers and eight hits.The second game didn't turn out so well for the Cards...losing 4-2 to the 'Cuse.LOUISVILLE 8 - SYRACUSE 1Katie Keller went 3 for 4 in the UofL win and homer as the Cards struggled early against Syracuse hurler Lindsay Taylor. It was 1-0 Syracuse going into the bottom of the fifth before the Cards bats finally started popping.

Kayla Soles reached on a two-base error and scored on Taner Fowler's two-run blast to put the Cards ahead. They weren't finished with the inning...Jasmine Smithson-Willett and Katie Keller singled, advanced on a Jordan Trimble bunt and scored on a singles from Alicja Wolny and Hannah Kiyohara. A double from Whitney Arion plated Wolny and Louisville led 5-1 after five. Three more Cardinals got greeted at home plate in the sixth. Fowler singled, Smithson-Willett drew a walk and Keller blasted her team-leading eighth homer of the year.Louisville wins 8-1. Connell goes to 17-2 on the season.SYRACUSE 4 - LOUISVILLE 2The Orange drew first blood in the second game. Four first inning hits had the visitors up 2-0 early. Syracuse added two more in the fourth, which sent Rachel LeCoq to the bench, when Danielle Chitkowski reached and Mary Dombrowski sent a blast over the right-center fence to make it 4-0.The Cards tried to rally in the sixth. Katelyn Mann bunt singled and Maggie Ruckenbrod received a base on balls. Alicja Wolny followed with a double that scored both but the Cards could offer no further offense after that.

LeCoq takes the loss with 4.1 innings pitched, allowing all four runs and seven hits to go to 10-4. Connell pitched well in relief...striking out seven of the eight batters she reached in 2.2 innings. The teams play again today with a noon start. <><<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>><>><><><>><>CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO is back on the air this morning at 11 a.m. with our weekly show. We'll look at UofL womens' hoops, softball and we invite you to stay tuned immediately after the show for two hours of live coverage of the Crescent Hill Easter Parade on Frankfort Avenue. www.crescenthillradio.comJeff will be driving the CARDINAL COUPLE chimps up and down the parade route in his jeep as they toss bananas and soft boiled eggs at the crowd...so come hungry. Jenny and I will be in the back of Sonja's battered 1991 Toyota Pickup, dressed as 18th century fedual lords...singing our favorite Beatles and Metallica songs to stunned parade-watchers.-Paulie--

Friday, March 29, 2013

FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE-David Watson takes a look at Baylor WBB-Softball doubleheader Friday.(David Watson guides us into an excitingweekend of college basketball with his 'only David would write this' review of Baylor. Love him or hate him, he makes you think. Of what, we're not exactly sure...)

So, who's afraid of the Big, Bad Baylor Bears? I was humming that nursery song about the three pigs (Calipari, Coach K. and Tom Crean) and the big, bad wolf (NCAA sanctions) but thinking about the Baylor women's basketball team. 74-1 over the last two years. A two-point loss to Standford early this season. Everyone else since that game has had to pay, and pay dearly, for the blemish on the prom queen's snozzzola. Afraid? I'm terrified of them. I think they could beat a lot of lower ranked men's DI teams. Maybe half the teams in the WNBA. Definitely the pick-up team I played on a few year's back at the YMCA. It all begins with Griner. She's a flat-liner if you try and spend much time trying to figure out how to stop her. Because you can't. 6'8" and coordinated, which is a rarity in most of the 6'5" and overs that are in women's college basketball. I firmly believe you could put Cardinal Couple's Jenny, Sandy, Paulie and Jeff on a team with her and compete for the NCAA title. No, I'm not coming off the bench, either. She makes the players around her good, not saying that Odyssey Sims was horrible before she got to Baylor -- she wasn't -- but there is a strength, security and confidence level that permeates a player when they know they are on the court with the best in the business.

I give Kim Mulkey a lot of credit for the successes of the Big, Bad Bears, too. She knows the game, had a fantastic career when she played and knows how to use Griner. Knows how to compliment her with players that will reap and sow benefits from sharing court-time with the 6'8" powerhouse. You may ask yourself if coaches like Walz, Auriemma, McGraw, VanderVeer and Mitchell wouldn't have the same success? We'll never know -- but Griner went to Baylor and Waco for a reason. It probably wasn't for the barbecue and the view.

Jeff Walz has a daunting task ahead of him. Daunting but one with no pressure. You see, no one expects Louisville to beat the Bears. His task is to shock the world. At least the women's college basketball world. How does he do this? I have a few thoughts on that:1) Keep Griner off the court. The easiest way to do that (short of a restraining order) is get her in foul trouble early. The Cards do have a few player who take a charge well and can fake it admirably. Griner on the bench is a good thing -- unless you're a Baylor fan.2) Limit her touches. That means keeping her teammates from getting the ball to her. Which means hard-nose pressure on the guards who deliver the orange orb and blocking out on shots that are taken. A double-team on her has it's pluses and minuses. A deliberate offense when you have the ball can back-fire ( see Louisville vs. Kentucky). Aggressive defense is a good start. Sidearms and electric prods wouldn't hurt. 3) Prevent the runs. I know, there is a stomach bug going around and that isn't what I'm referring to -- it's a case of not letting Baylor rattle off eight or ten points in a row. Which means your offense needs to be "on". Hopefully Shoni, Nita, Bria, Mo, Sara and Jude will bring their "A" game offensively to Oklahoma City. 4-17 shooting won't cut it.

In any event, it's a great honor and accomplishment that the Cards have gotten this far. You know the maladies and setbacks UofL has had to endure this season. I'll watch, I'll cheer and I'll hope for the best. Hurry up, Sunday. The natives are restless. There are Bears in the distance. -David Watson( David has offered his services as a ref and/or scorekeeper for this game. Last we heard, the NCAA had not returned his e-mails. The TV timeouts would reach record numbers if he were to draw either assignment...)<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>Louisville softball plunges into BIG EAST softball action today with a double-header against Syracuse that begins at 2 p.m. at Ulmer Stadium. #11 UofL is 26-5 on the season and comes off a split in two games against #1 Oklahoma. Offensive leaders Taner Fowler, Katie Keller, Alicja Wolny and Maggie Ruckenbrod are probably overjoyed at the prospects of facing a Orange team that won't have Jenna Caira in the pitching circle for them. The 'Cuse has won the last six meetings between the teams but is off to a 11-14 start this season. Last time out the Orange swept Harvard in a double header. They do have a win over #4 California in their resume. Here's hoping for a "Good Carl" performance or two on Friday and Saturday. The weather looks promising, get out to Ulmer and root on your Lady Cards! Friday's first game is on TV...WHAS 11.2 and the accompanying Insight/Comcast channels will show it.Brian U'Sellis (he of the world's most interesting man-type beard) and Patty Norton will provide the play-by-play and color analysis. They didn't ask me, Jeff or Jenny to don the headsets and grab the microphones. Probably for a good reason and a wise decision. Maybe we can do live lacrosse coverage. -Paulie--

Thursday, March 28, 2013

THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

( Jeff McAdams catches us up on Lacrosse, Softball, his recruiting efforts and the real MVP of the Purdue game in today's CARDINAL COUPLE edition. Be sure to look for him in the Crescent Hill Easter Parade Saturday on Frankfort Ave...he'll be driving the jeep full of chimps tossing bananas and soft-boiled eggs at the crowd (or to the crowd) lined along the parade route. We're hoping he told parade officials about the entry.)

Also, today's photo montage is from Austin Lassell's work at The Cardinal -- UofL's student newspaper. We gratefully acknowledge his fine work and thank him and The Cardinal for allowing us to present these action shots of the Purdue game to you! You can discover more of his work at The Cardinal or at his site www.austinlassell.com

*** Upcoming Spring Sports Events

*** Good Carl Gets an Honor or Two

*** A Story of a New WBB Season Ticket Holder?

*** Asia Taylor as MVP of the Purdue Game?

Spring Sports Schedule Update

After a multi-game visit to the mid-Atlantic seaboard, tangling with two quality opponents, Lacrosse gets a week break with no games this weekend. The mid-Atlantic visit included competition with Loyola (Md.) and Georgetown, both ranked teams. The Cards dropped both games, but both were very hard fought and respectable showings. With those losses, Louisville Lacrosse has dropped back just out of the rankings once again, but are continuing to receive votes. The next matchup brings #7 ranked Notre Dame into town for the first Cardinal home Lacrosse game since March 6th. Almost a month without competing on the UofL Lacrosse Stadium, with the first draw next Friday (not tomorrow), the 5th at 5pm.

Softball, on the other hand, has a busy week ahead of them. Syracuse comes for a three game visit
starting Friday afternoon with a double-header at 2pm and 4pm, and a followup on Saturday at noon. Then, Wednesday the 3rd, at 6pm, the Kentucky Wildcats come to play. With a ranking of 20 or 21, and a first week RPI of 8, our Lexington friends are not a team to be trifled with. This should be a good game, with Louisville sitting on #11 rankings and a 10th place RPI. I believe the Kentucky game is a ticketed game, so don't expect to come waltzing into Ulmer like you normally do for a game.

Good Carl Gets an Honor or Two

Caralisa "Carl" Connell has come into some critique from Paulie and I for being hot and cold in her pitching. Sometimes she's amazing, but sometimes we're glad Rachel Le Coq is around for relief duties.

It seems that we've seen more of "Good Carl" than "Bad Carl" recently, a trend that will get no complaints around these parts, of course. This week in particular, Caralisa Connell was named to Big East Pitcher of the Week, and has also picked up the CollegeSportsMadness.com National Pitcher of the Week honor.

Here's to hoping we see more of "Good Carl" in the coming weeks.

A Story of a New WBB Season Ticket Holder?

I believe it was at the Women's Basketball Tip-Off luncheon that Jeff Walz encouraged the crowd to bring friends to basketball games, saying that, if we could get people to come to a game, he felt like it would be entertaining enough that people would want to then buy season tickets. I certainly believe that UofL Women's Basketball is one the best values for entertainment dollars around, and my family has been season tickets holders for a number of years now based on that exact scenario...we decided to go to a UofL vs UConn game back in the days when Katie Olson and Jazz Covington were playing. We had such a great time that we got season tickets starting the next year. Despite this experience, I questioned how often that reaction to coming to a game really happened. I'm more of a believer, now.

I, on Tuesday, was having a water-cooler conversation with a relatively new employee at my place of employment...except we weren't at an actual water-cooler...just having a random conversation in the hallway, so I guess it was a figurative-water-cooler conversation. Let's, unimaginatively, say this co-worker's name is "Bob". Another co-worker who's very well known as a UofL fan walked by. We'll equally unimaginatively call him, "Glenn". I asked Glenn, as he walked by if he was going to the game, mentioned the $5 endzone ticket promotion they were doing. Glenn said he wasn't going to be able to make it due to other committments. Bob, however, perked up his ears at the idea of $5 tickets to the game. Bob and his wife had already lined someone up to watch the kids and were looking for something interesting, and hopefully not terribly expensive, to do that evening. $5 tickets to a basketball game at the KFC Yum! Center during tournament time seemed like a great idea. I filled him in on the details and he said he thought it sounded like a good idea and that he'd suggest it to his wife and that he thought they would probably go.

I made my way by his office yesterday morning (Wednesday) and asked if they had gone to the game. The response was effusive. He and his wife and his mother-in-law had gone to the game and had end-zone tickets and they loved it. They had a wonderful time. Bob immediately asked about season ticket prices and almost didn't believe me when I told him how little I paid for my season tickets. He was equally floored when I told him where my tickets were and that other tickets in other sections of seating would be even less expensive. We then proceeded to talk about the Louisville team, and about how the women's game is a little different from the men's (no 10-second backcourt violation...30 vs 35 second shot clock...generally awful officiating, though not usually as bad as it was for that game...how all of this combined to change the overall feel of the game). At the end of the conversation, Bob said he thought they would probably get season tickets for next year.

Huh, it really does work.

Asia Taylor as MVP of the Purdue Game?

Maybe the most pivotal moment of the whole contest between Purdue and UofL may have gone largely unnoticed Tuesday night.

Before the game, Asia Taylor was standing near the scorer's table with a couple of the other injured UofL players. Dee Kantner, the head official for the evening, approached and said something to Asia
that I couldn't hear from my seats. Asia got a surprised look on her face and made some sort of comment in response. Dee responded in a way that seemed reassuring. At that point, Asia picked a couple of basketballs off of the cart of balls used for warm-ups, looked them over, bounced them a couple of times, considered them further, and then handed one of them to Dee.

Dee checked the ball over, bounced it a couple of times, nodded, and promptly went on to use that ball as the game ball.

I think congratulations are owed to Asia Taylor, number 31, who's judicious selection of the game ball, may very well have played a critical role in the advancement of our Louisville Cardinals to the Sweet 16 over Purdue Tuesday night.

Of course, it might have had something to do with Sara Hammond's double-double, but I'd like to think that it wouldn't have been possible without Asia Taylor's critical contribution.

Way to go ATayy, you're tops in my book.

--Jeff McAdams

(Great story on ATayy and the newest Cardinal fans. We're pretty sure...based on the practice reports we're getting...that #31 will be picking up a lot of MVP honors for games in 2013-14 if she can keep up with the progress we're hearing that she's displaying during practice. Good job, Asia and you are still Sonja's favorite Lady Card. And, apparantly the darling of a lot of other fans' out there as well...)

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE(Jenny O'Bryan with the recap of the exciting UofL win that propels the Louisville WBB team to the Sweet Sixteen!)
﻿

Photo by Jenny O'Bryan

Louisville Women’s Basketball
is headed to Oklahoma City! They earned a berth to the Sweet 16 with a big
win over Purdue, 76-63, at The KFC YUM Center on Tuesday night.The Cardinals played their last game of the season
at home in front of 9,236 rowdy fans.

Each of the last two years
the Cardinals have been ousted from the tournament on the home court of their
opponent.It is only fitting that it was
their time to turn the tables on the opposition and play at home in front of a
very appreciative fan base.

The game started a little
slow for both teams.Louisville
committed six turnovers in the first five minutes of the game.They settled in, went to work, and never
surrendered the lead the entire game.Louisville led by 15 at the half, 38-23.

Bria down after Taylor Manuel's elbow. She would
rise again and finish with seven points

The second half of play
opened on a run by Purdue, and the Louisville shots were not falling.As this team has been known to do, it
appeared that the Cards just might give up their lead and let Purdue climb back
in to it.Purdue would get no closer than
10, with the Cardinal lead ballooning to 19 at one point, before the Cardinals
finished the game in the win column.

It was a fantastic game, a
real team effort played with a lot heart and energy.It was not a full 40-minute game for this
bunch, but it was the closest they have come to a complete game.It was also, by far, the best game I have seen
out of this team all season!

Nita and Jude are all smiles!

Sara Hammond was the player of
the game with another double double, putting up 21 points and pulling down 10
rebounds.She had a fantastic game, one
much like we saw early season from her.She picked a great night to return to her dominant ways and lead the
Cards in scoring.

Antonita Slaughter has been
in a bit of shooting slump the last few games.She knocked down an early 3, and I knew she was going to have a
fantastic game.She appeared to be
playing looser, lighter tonight.The
early bucket had to give her confidence and she set the pace for the Cards
scoring 14 of her 16 points in the first half.Slaughter chased down 3 offensive
boards (her own missed 3 point attempts) and hustled all night long with and
with out the ball.

Monique Reid celebrated her
23rd birthday in style, playing her last game in front of her
hometown fans, and scoring eight points and getting six boards in 23 minutes of
play.She played tough defensively and
gave the Cards great energy of the bench.

What we liked:

-The Cardinals played a
great game in the paint!I do not
have the final stats of points in the paint but by the looks of the team
Tuesday night, one would never know two of the teams big bodies were sidelined
with injuries.This was the best looking
game I have seen of banging the ball inside and getting points.

- Passing the ball.These tournament games have also provided us with
some of the best passing of the season.The Cardinals are moving with and without the ball and making good
passes and has great ball rotation.

-Toughness and energy.This was another brutal game, especially for
Bria Smith.Smith took some hard knocks,
at least two that could have sidelined her.She continued on and still gave 110% on both sides of the ball.

- Jude Schimmel gets
better and better.I am on record
early on this season of eating my words and growing to love the game of the younger
Schimmel.I was not convinced her
freshman year she had what it took to hang in the Big East.Am I ever glad to be proven wrong!She continues to hone her ball handling and
passing, all the while proving to be a great defender and a real pickpocket.I love watching this young woman play
defense!

-Shelby Harper!What is not to love about this former
walk-on.Coach Walz calls a time out
with 22 seconds left to get Shelby in to the game for the first time on the
night.She holds the ball in the
backcourt, seemingly to let the clock run out.Not so.Instead, with 12 seconds
left she drives down the lane and lays one in to score with 7 seconds left.Shelby, you have the heart of a lion in that
tiny frame of yours.CardNation no doubt
will miss you!

It is only fitting to me,
that this team leaves the friendly confines and heads out to the Sweet 16 in
such great fashion.The crowd was loud
and electric all night, and this team did not disappoint.We have been saying it all season long here,
and it bears repeating, that this is an injured squad.This team has battled adversity all season
long, and they have kept their heads up and in the game.They have remained a top 20 team with 3,
sometimes 4, would-be starters on the sidelines injured.If that does not make you a proud Cardinal
Fan, I am not sure what will.

Photo by Charlie Springer - UofL Card Game.

Congratulations to my
favorite team!Way to go out in
style.You deserve it!( A wonderful write-up on tonight's exciting win by Jenny! The Cards' task to advance to the "Great Eight" will be a tough one -- no doubt -- with #1 in the nation Baylor next. Coach Walz commented in the post-game presser that he and the staff would come up with a game plan that would give them a chance against the Bears. Stopping Brit Griner will be no small task....especially since she's 6'8". But, believe....believe...believe. Nothing is impossible.)<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>HERE'S THE UPDATED RESULTS FROM THE CARDINAL COUPLE PICK 'EM CONTEST:43-5 KEITH B.42-6 JEFF MCADAMS41-7 NELL J.40-8 STEVE O., CURTIS F.39-9 KENNY S., JENNY O'BRYAN, PDX PHIL, ANDY K.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE-Boilermakers on a win streak as they face UofL-Caralisa Connell named BIG EAST Softball pitcher of week.Quentin Voigt with the preview of tonight's Louisville v Purdue NCAA Women's Tournament 2nd round game. GOOD SEATS IN THE END ZONES ARE AVAILABLE FOR JUST $5 FOR THIS GAME. COME TO THE YUM! and GET YOUR TICKETS AT THE BOX OFFICE. THIS IS THE NCAA, FOLKS!

The Purdue Boilermakers have won five in a row coming into tonight's game and six out of their last seven. They are purported to be a tough-nosed team. Purdue brings a 25-8 record into the contest. They were 10-6 in BIG TEN regular season games but came on strong to win the conference tournament. Coach Sharon Versyp is in her seventh year as Boilermaker boss and her success has been note-worthy. She has had 17 All-BIG TEN performers, three players on the All-BIG TEN Freshman team, six BIG TEN All-Defensive team selections, 11 BIG TEN All-Tournament players (three of then MOP's) and three WNBA draft picks. Just as importantly, 32 of her players have been named Academic All-BIG TEN members, including Lauren Minton -- a Rhodes Scholar finalist. The 2012-13 team is loaded with talent, including all five of their starters. Leading scorer is 5'6" guard Courtney Moore at 13.5 ppg. 6'2" paint specialist Drey Mingo averages 12.3 ppg and 5'6" guard K.M Houser adds 11.4 a game. 6'2" Sam Osterrella contributes 9.7 ppg and 6'2" Taylor Manual is good for 8.1 ppg. Osterella grabs 10 boards a game and Mingo adds 6 per contest. Purdue averages 68 ppg, creates 16.1 assists and gets 8.1 steal a night. Losses of note -- UConn 91-57, Notre Dame 74-47, Iowa 62-46, Penn State 69-61, Michigan State 68-61. They also fell to lowly Indiana 62-61. The Lady Cards chances are good...but they would certainly be boosted by a YUM! Center full of rowdy fans. Louisville needs to ride the momentum of the final 10 minutes against MTSU and play as a unit with the single-minded goal to win. -Quentin Voigt<><><><><><><><><><><><><>><><><><><><><>The Purdue team I saw dismantle Liberty does a lot of things well. They crash the boards hard, block out well and Moore had a spectacular scoring performance against the over-matched Liberty Flames. With three 6'2" starters, it'll be interesting to see if Walz stays with his previous starting lineup of Shoni, Bria, Sara, Sherrone and Nita. The three keys I see to a Cardinal win are another double-digit performance from the "Sho and Mo" show, Vails giving a solid 20 minutes and the Cards hitting 70% or better from the foul line. The Boilermakers should provide Louisville plenty of free throw chances. The Cards must capitalize. Versyp will probably try to come up with a game plan to limit Shoni's effectiveness. If she does, it'll be up to Smith, Mo, Sara and Nita to step it up. If Nita can find that three-point efficiency she displayed prior to the BIG EAST Tournament...Purdue will have to drop the "stop Shoni" scenario.I see the Cards advancing to the Sweet Sixteen with a hard-fought 69-63 win. Not that it matters, but a lot of Cards fans were surprised that Purdue got the #4 seed and Louisville the #5 in the region.Time to start up the redemption train engine again. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>><><><><><><><><>Congrats to Cardinal softball pitcher Caralisa Connell for being selected the BIG EAST Softball Pitcher of the week. She punished both Iowa and Oklahoma last week and held the batters she face to a meager .171 batting average. Louisville entertains Syracuse this weekend at Ulmer. A Friday doubleheader that starts at 2 p.m. and single game Saturday at noon. The Cards are #11 in the nation and 26-5 on the season.<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>><><><><><><><>We'll update the CARDINAL COUPLE Pick 'Em challenge in Wednesday's column...after all the second round games have been completed. Like I care. I'm so far behind the leaders...I think I'm in the lead. Paulie

Sunday, March 24, 2013

MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE-All's well that ends well in CARDS Four Act Play-Lacrosse tumbles to Hoyas 14-11-Pick 'Em ResultsYou could almost call the UofL women's basketball 25-point win over MTSU Sunday afternoon a play of sorts Just call me Paulie the Playwright and listen to my tale of gladness and woe... we'll call this little tale..On to 32. Act I : The Rise of the EmpireLouisville absolutely roared out of the castle and bounced out to a 20-3 lead in the the first 6:37 of the first half. Beginning with Vails and Hammond pounding the backboard for points inside and ending with Reid, Shoni and Smith hitting a varying array of jumpers and layups, the Cards looked like they were playing Middle School Tennessee instead of MTSU and Reid layup capped a 16-0 run with 13:23 left in the first half. All cylinders were clicking and the Blue Raiders looked blue and absolutely raided. It was a delight to watch.Act II : Sailing Along while the Enemy Forces plot Revenge.The Cards maintained the lead in varying numbers for the rest of the first half...anywhere from seven to sixteen points as the scoring effort remained balanced and Louisville had their way inside when MTSU played defense MTSU did rally to climb within eight with 4:49 on the clock -- a Kortni Jones jumper dong the trick to make it 26-18-- but Louisville looked to be headed into the locker room up by double digits before a Reid shot met rejection from Ebony Rowe and Kortni Jones drilled a three off the rebound to make it 34-27 at the half. The Cards were still in command..but the countryside was rumbling with a bit of trepidation, worry and wonder. The Empire was showing a few cracks in the armor and the Blue Raiders were narrowing the gap Act III : The Empires Stumbles

MTSU came out on fire in the second half and drilled two threes in the first 3:12 to cut the once-safe UofL lead to one at 34-33. Over the next five minutes that narrow UofL advantage would fluctuate from one to five points...a three from reserve Laken Leonard cut the Cardinal lead to 42-40 with 10:23 remaining. It looked like the Cards had been driven into the ropes and pummeled but were refusing to go to the canvas.

MTSU had momentum, a loud and rowdy fan base in the southwest corner of the KFC YUM! Center was roaring and Louisville needed some answers fast. Act IV : Riding the Redemption Train to TuesdayThe UofL resurgance began quietly enough. Shoni hits a contested jumper at the 10 minute mark and sinks the accompanying free throw as well. A missed MTSU attempt leads to a Smith jumper that tickles the nets and both the Schimmel sisters take the stage after that. Shoni's steal and layup increases the lead to nine and Jude's three-bomb makes it 52-40 in just a 90 second span.

There was fire and determination again in the Lady Cards' eyes and the MTSU fans in sections 101-103 could have avoided additional agony by accessing the exits after Vails' jumper made it 56-42 with 7:01 to go.

The Blue Raiders were vanquished invaders. Reid inside made it 64-44 with 4:30 left and when Rowe finally hit a layup with 3:55 on the clock...the Cards were on a 24-6 run and the only question left was how big would the win margin be.Rowe added another inside score for the Raiders final tally to cut the Louisville lead to 21 at 70-49 with 2:24 in the game. Free throws from Vails, Shelby Harper and a Jude Schimmel lay-in off a steal with 1:15 left provided the final score of 74-49. WIth the win, Louisville gets Purdue Tuesday night in the KFC YUM! Center at appox. 7 p.m.

Shoni had 20 on 9-15 shooting in 36 minutes. Monique Reid added 15 on 7 of 11 attempts. Jude Schimmel (11 points) and Bria Smith (10 points) also finished in double figures. Hats off to Sherrone Vails also for a strong 21 minutes and nine points. She and Sara Hammond seemed to be favorite whistle stops for Dee Kanter's crew...each seeing bench time with three fouls.Coach Walz couldn't find too much to complain about in the post game presser. Happy for the win and pleased to be playing Tuesday, he wished free throw shooting and missed layup opportunities would have been better. For a man on the eve of destruction and tournament elimination, he engineered a remarkable rally and...as he has said before...any win is a good one.

This was a good one. Not great. Frittering away a 13 point lead ito one over a six minute period spanning two halves has to be a bit of cause for concern. This time of year, though...what doesn't kill you means you're alive to fight another day. Purdue awaits. They shackled Liberty earlier Sunday on Denny Crum's Court. The battle should be a good one. How's the competition stack up? Sandy Walker (yes, she's still out there, folks) sends this link on Team Performance Index. UPS Team Performance Index<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>><><While the WBB Cards were heating up the KFC YUM! Center, Louisville lacrosse was in the cold battling BIG EAST opponent Georgetown in Washington, D.C. The results weren't as good for the Cross Gals...losing 14-11 to the # 8 in the nation Hoyas.

Kaylin Morissete had a career high five goals in the loss for Louisville. Down 3-0 early, UofL battled back to 3-2 with two unassisted scores by Morissette. Georgetown fired back, though, and went up 6-3 before Monica Negron found paydirt to get Louisville to within two with 14:15 remaining in the first half. Nikki Boltja and Coleen O'Malley followed suit, benefitting from assists from Katie Oliverio over the next two minutes and Louisville tied the match with 12:12 to go.Georgetown went on a 3-0 run to regain the three goal advantage but the Cards weren't done...Oliverio netted her first score of the game and Morissette went back-to-back with scores...her fourth of the game coming with three seconds on the clock to tie the contest 9-9 for the halftime break. The Hoyas took their turn at scoring to start the second half. Three GU scores in the first ten minutes had them ahead 12-9. Morissette responded with 15:53 left with a net-finder and Nikki Boltja got her second tally with 12 minutes remaining to draw the Cards within one at 12-11.

Unforutnately, that was the end of the Cardinal scoring and G'Town added two insurance goals to take the 14-11 win.

The long road trip finally ends. Louisville returns home for a pair of BIG EAST matchup. Notre Dame visits after spring break for a Friday, April 5th. match at 5 p.m. The Cards will also host Marquette Sunday April 7th., at noon. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>><><><><><><>Whoo, boy! We got us a contest going on over here at the COUPLE in our Bracket Pick 'Em Contest! With 32 games played, we got nine players that are 28-4 OR BETTER! Here's the honor roll:30-2 Nell J.29-3 Jeff McAdams, Jenny O. ( both Cardinal Couple columnists! ) Keith B.and Andy K.28-4 Curtis F. Matthew M., Steve O. and Kenny S.

Jenny and Jeff in a four-way tie for second

There are also at 27-5 and 26-6...so the game is far from over. Meanwhile, in 'Loserville' (bracket-wise)...Paul sits at 23-9, Sonja at 24-8 and David Watson is keeping her company there. Worst entry? Once again the Cardinal Staff Chimps have come up with a bracket that is at 4-28. They did get the #1 seeds right in the first round. After that, nada. They've also got three of the #1 seeds going out in the second round. Darn chimps! Paulie--

SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLEIN GAME UPDATES - LIVE FROM-Update 4:31 p.m. 74-49 FINAL Shoni with 20, Mo with 15.-Update 4:24 pm. Shelby Harper in with 2:45 left. 70-47 Cards -Update 4:17 p.m. It's 66-44 with 4:17 left. Deines in. The Blue Raider just got raided.-Update 4:10 p.m. Cards now lead 58-44 Shoni with eight second-half points. 6:08 remains in the game-Update 4:01 p.m. Cards take off on a exciting run. 49-40 with 9:05 left. Shoni and Mo with ten combined second half points. -Update 3:53 p.m. Cards clinging to a 38-35 lead, Shoni with 11 points. Refs are making some very interesting calls...-Update 3:44 p.m. It's now 34-33 UofL with 15:59 to go The "horse of a different color" is charging down the stretch at Churchill Yum!-Update Half 34-27 Cards. Nervous time..-Update 3:10 p.m. Louisville up 32-24. Elie has three threes for MTSU and Louisville shooting 45%. 2:03 left.-Update 3:03 p.m.. Got a 24-13 Cardinal lead. Offense getting a bit stagnant. TV time out and Walz preaching. -Update 2:54 p.m. It's 20-8 and Walz is about to have a stroke on the sidelines. Elie has two threes for MTSU, Shoni with five points for us and three others with four each. Jude, Mo and Walton have seen action off the bench so far.-Update 2:47 p.m. Make that 18-3. Five different players have scored and Louisville on a 14-0 run. Blue section in 102-103 rather quiet. -Update 2:44 p.m. Cards 9 - MTSU 3 16:55 left Vails has four !-Update 2:28 p.m. 7:09 until tip. Cards still warming up. MTSU just came back out. They got a good crowd here, the Blue Raiders do. Overall, looks like we may have 8,000 in here. Gaps in the end zones. Upstairs curtained off. Play ball, already!-Update #2. 65-32 Boilermakers putting out the Liberty Flames. Sonja getting drowsy, must be a blow-out. Coutrney Moses with 21 for PU. Quick, little guard. -Update from the YUM! Purdue 33 - Liberty 17 at the half. Looking like the Cards will have Boilermakers on Tuesday if this keeps up.- -Cards look to Middle Tennessee, Rowe-Media Day at KFC YUM!-Softball splits with #1 Oklahoma-Pick 'Em Contest -- nobody's perfect(Quentin Voigt has the preview of the Middle Tennessee Radiers in the Sunday Edition of CARDINAL COUPLE. It isn't too late...get your tickets today and get out there for the2:40 p.m. tip --- or the noon tip for Liberty/Purdue!)Congratulations to the Lady Cardinals on achieving a #5 seed in the 2013 NCAA Women's Tournament. They will take on the #12 seed Sun Belt Conference champs -- the Middle Tennessee State University Blue Raiders at approximately 2:40 p.m. Sunday (or 30 minutes following the Liberty/Purdue game). By no means new to the NCAA Tournament, MTSU is making their 5th. consecutive appearance in the "Big Dance". Coached by Rick Insell, MTSU comes to the tournament with an impressive 25-7 overall record and 17-3 Sun Belt Conference slate. They won the regular season and conference titles. Teams they have played include losses to Tennessee by seven -- in overtime -- and a 22 point defeat by the Kentucky Wildcats in Lexington. Other losses include Iowa by six, South Dakota State by seven, FIU by seven, Troy by four and UARL by eight. In Coach Insell's words:

"Louisville is a good matchup for us - it's good for our fans. It'll be good for our team. It will help keep us in our routine for when we travel on the road and a three-hour drive isn't bad at all."

Let's hope our Lady Cards can do something to move Coach Insell out of his comfort zone when the game commences.

Leading rebounder (11 rpg) and point-maker for the Blue Radiers in Lexington, KY junior 6'1" Ebony Rowe. She's started every game for MTSU and has played an average of 39.2 minutes a contest. Next is 5'9" senior guard Kortni Jones with 16.4 ppg and a team high 4.5 assists per game. Icelyn Elie, a 6'1" senior, contributes 13.9 ppg and 7.3 rebounds. Jones and Elie are the three-point threats. As a team, the Blue Raiders typically score 67.7 points a game, make 41.3% of their shots (30.3% from three range) 71.0% of their free throws, 15.9 turnovers a game and get 9.1 steals. They average 4213 fans a home contest. Coach Insell's success has probably been a result of the chip he seems to carry about recruiting:"We are going after the best players in the state of Tennessee every year. If Tennessee or Vanderbilt is after them, then Middle Tennessee is going to be after them, too. We will recruit alongside of them. We are not going to be intimidated, nor will we back down because they are in the Southeastern Conference, We are Division I, they are Division I. We are going to use all of our contacts." 10 of his 13 players this year are from Tennessee.

If the Lady Cards can defend the Lady from Lexington and force her into a sub-par performance while firing on all cylinders themselves then I thinkUofL will "survive and move on."

-Quentin Voigt

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I headed to the KFC YUM! Center after our Saturday Morning Confusion Radio show on Crescent Hill Radio to attend Media/Practice Day. Got there just in time to catch the press conference for Liberty University. Carey Green is a likable coach who builds his basketball philosophy around two things. Rebounding and Jesus Christ. The players know if they shout out things like "Block Out", "Rebound" or praise Jesus in the huddle or in practice, they are fulfilling the goals he has for the team. The Flames flew into Louisville and actually did a little sight-seeing --getting a tour of Churchill Downs before heading to the YUM! Center.Let's hope they didn't run into Tommy Boy or Bread Boy out there. I doubt they placed any exactas or pick 4's either. They're here to win and are not intimidated by the facility or Purdue. When I went out to the Denny Crum Court to watch them practice after the presser, I did catch several of them looking around at the interior of the KFC YUM! Center with open mouths and looks of wonderment, though.Welcome to the big time, Flames. Good luck.

I had a little "down" time before the next presser and hit the media buffet. I heartily recommend the loaded potato soup and hope it makes a re-appearance today. It was also good to see Brad Knoop again, back in the YUM! as the moderator for the press conferences. Where you been, boy? The likable and affable Knoop has always been a Paulie favorite. Other media were present...no major names...the usual Courier-Journal, AP and the always stand-offish, brown-nosing Jody Demling from Cardinal Authority. (If you read this, Jody...just kidding. WE steal some of our best material from your site.) Everyone was anxious for the Walz presser to begin, since a rather important event was taking place in Lexington in a few hours and most of these local guys were headed there. Coach Walz, Bria Smith, Shoni Schimmel and Sara Hammond took the podium at 2 p.m. The players answered questions, Walz threw in a few barbs and jokes and talked about the upcoming game. Five things from the presser I feel are print-worthy.1) Walz says he has no idea who the other two teams are in town. He is solely focused on MTSU. I don't fully believe that...but I like the dedication and focus to the immediate task at hand. As he said, "We're all quite aware that it's one and done time."

2) Walz feels whoever scores the most points will win. He delivered that pearl of wisdom when I was asking Sara Hammond about negating the +4 margin MTSU has on opponents this season. It's refreshing to know that Coach still remembers the basics of the game. Most points...yeah, that's the ticket. 3) Walz isn't concerned about the pace or tempo of the contest. He'll be happy with "an ugly win" as compared to a "great loss". Yep, Jeff was on his "A" game yesterday. 4) Bria Smith says she can play any of the guard spots but feels she can best help the team at point. We're having a "good citizenship" trophy ordered for her. All three players are very team-focused and that's a good thing.

5) Strangest question I've heard at a presser lately. Whoever the lady was with the rapid-fire approach asks Walz a rambling question how who would win if the coaches had to go one-on-one against each other in the tournament. Walz used the opportunity to recall his own playing career at NKU. A career that spanned 2 1/2 seasons and featured absolutely no defense, except for hand-checking. His early retirement from the hardwood was a sad day for all fans who love the "get me the ball, I'll shoot it and defense, no way..." type of ballplayer. Walz, Iverson, Maravich, Barry and Angel. All legends.After that, it was time to go. Important stuff coming up in Lexington, you know...<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>><><><><>Louisville Softball split with the #1 ranked Oklahoma Sooners yesterday in softball. It is the first time the Softball Cards have ever defeated a #1 ranked team. Caralisa Connell tossed a four-hitter (Good Carl!) in the opener and Taner Fowler had two RBI's in the 5-1 win. TF's double in the top of the fourth made it 4-0 and she later scored on a Katie "Killer" Keller single. The second game was a 9-1, five inning affair. The Sooners rocked Rachel LeCoq for seven hits and produced six runs in the fifth inning to blow the doors off the Cardinal bus. Taner Fowler drilled a pitch over the left field fence for Louisville's only score in the top of the fifth. Her second base-cleaner of the year. They were to meet again today at 1 p.m. It's been cancelled due to inclement weather in the midwest. (thanks to Jeff McAdams and asst. SID Lori Korte for the news.) <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>><><><>><><Nobody got all sixteen games correct in the first day of the CARDINAL COUPLE WBB Tournament Pick 'Em...but Nell J. got awfully close with 15 out of 16 correct. She's followed by seven contestants that went 14 for 16 in their picks...including CARDINAL COUPLE staff columnist Jeff (Zach) McAdams. Jenny's in a group of six that finished 13-3. As for Sonja, Paulie, Bill the Goat and David Watson...we'd rather not talk about it. Colorado's loss to Kansas and Syracuse's fold to Creighton seemed to be the games that tripped most of us up. Good luck in Day 2! We'll be back later today with a game report on the hoops and COME TO THE YUM! for the games today!!!COME TO THE YUM!

RIGHT SIDE OF THE SITE

Welcome to the right side of the site. Over here, you'll find pictures, characters, chimps, notices, links and Italian sausage! We update stuff here every couple or weeks or so. Enjoy!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU! THANKS !!!

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POLL: Which of Louisville WBB's new players do you enjoy watching the most?

HANDICAPPING HEROES

Be sure to catch HANDICAPPING HEROES on Saturday...following THE CARDINAL COUPLE HOUR on WCHQ 100.9 FM starting at noon. We've lined up some of the best handicappers at Churchill Downs to give you their thoughts on the day's races. Moderated by Paulie, it's a fast-paced look at thoroughbred racing. Click the pic to take you to Crescent Hill Radio! The website (for now) is www.paulsykes.com

Paulie on LOUISVILLE FIRST

Howie Lindsey's critically acclaimed morning sports show can be heard Mon-Fri from 7-10 a.m. He brings Paulie in to discuss Louisville women's sports on Tuesdays during the 7-8 a.m. time slot on 790 CARDS RADIO WKRD. It's a honor and pleasure to talk about the joy and excitement of UofL's women student athletes with Howie. CLICK THE PIC TO GO TO THE STATION WEBSITE AND SEE WAYS TO LISTEN. .

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We are pleased to announce that WISSING WEALTH MANAGEMENT is a 2016 Corporate Underwriting Sponsor. Martin Wissing offers investment advice and more. Contact Marty for a free financial evaluation. For more information, click the logo to go directly to the WISSING WEALTH MANAGEMENT website.

Sportsmen's Supper Club of Louisville

Sportsmen's Supper Club of Louisville is an organization that meets monthly with the following objectives. Advancement of athletics in the community. Provision of a forum for the interchange of views and experiences in the field of athletics. Stimulation of fellowship and cooperation among those engaged in or interested in athletics. The club meets at the University Club on the UofL campus on the second Thursday of each month. There is a buffet and guest speaker at each meeting. Recent speakers include John Asher, John L. Smith, Jeff Walz, Jeff Brohm, Dan McDonnell, Scotty Davenport and Sandy Pearsall. For more information on joining Sportsmen's Supper Club, send your inquiries to loussclub@yahoo.com. We are proud to have Sportsmen's Supper Club as a sponsor of Cardinal Couple and invite you to check out this wonderful organization! CLICK THE CLUB LOGO to go to the Facebook page.

PAWS WITH PURPOSE

Founded in 2003, PAWS WITH PURPOSE is a non-profit organization that provides Assistance Dogs as partners to children and adults with physical disabilities or other special needs. These dogs provide comfort and companionship, help to break down social barriers and perform many skilled tasks which help their partners lead more independent lives. With the assistance of generous donors and dedicated/enthusiastic volunteers, PWP is committed to providing highly skilled service dogs at no charge to the recipients. Based in Louisville, PWP is proud to provide these highly trained compainions to individuals living in our area. To donate, volunteer or find out more about PWP...click the picture to go to their website. www.pawswithpurpose.org

Louisville WBB Schedule

2016-17 Louisville Women’s Basketball

NOVEMBER

Sun. 5 LINDSAY WILSON (exb.) W 97-50

Fri. 11 at UT Martin W 100-57

Sun. 13 BELMONT W 73-50

Wed. 16 at Middle Tennessee W 91-72

Sat. 19 BOWLING GREEN W 83-58

Sun. 20 LAFAYETTE W 92-48

Mon. 21 CHATTANOOGA W 63-47

Sun. 27 vs. South Carolina L 59-83

DECEMBER

Thurs. 1 MARYLAND L 72-78

Sun. 4 KENTUCKY W 69-67

Sun. 11 WESTERN KENTUCKY

Wed. 14 SOUTH DAKOTA ST.

Fri. 16 CHARLESTON

Sun. 18 EVANSVILLE

Wed. 21 at Vanderbilt

Thurs. 29 SYRACUSE

JANUARY

Mon. 2 at Duke

Thurs. 5 at Virginia

Sun. 8 PITTSBURGH

Thurs. 12 at Florida State

Sun. 15 MIAMI

Wed. 18 GEORGIA TECH

Sun. 22 at USF

Thurs. 26 at Clemson

Sun. 29 at Pittsburgh

FEBRUARY

Thurs. 2 NC STATE

Mon. 6 at Notre Dame

Thurs. 9 at Virginia Tech

Sun. 12 BOSTON COLLEGE

Sun. 19 NORTH CAROLINA

Thurs. 23 VIRGINIA

Sun. 26 at Wake Forest

MARCH

Wed-Sun. 1-5 ACC Tournament Conway, S.C.

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THE WALZIAN THEOREMS

Much like Leroy Jethro Gibbs of NCIS fame and his rules...Coach Jeff Walz has established several theorems on college basketball. THEORY I: Three is better than two. THEORY II: One and one = two. THEORY III: If you are open, there's a reason for that. THEORY IIII: Shooters are good, makers are better. THEORY V: If winning or losing isn't important, why keep score?

Timmy the Intern

Whether it's goldfish in the water cooler, golf carts in the corporate parking spots, donuts covered in ketchup or a self-serv banana smoothie station...Timmy keeps life interesting around the Cardinal Couple compound. Watch out for whoopie cushions! "Timmy! Report to my office IMMEDIATELY!" -- Sonja.

BILL THE GOAT

WITH the holiday season upon us...beware the BILLSTER crashing your get-togethers. Lock the doors and windows and post a guard by the trash cans.

The Return of MArkie MArk

MArkie MArk explains the mechanics of shooting a champagne cork to an amused Big Al and disinterested Paulie

The wisdom of Rodney...

I tell ya, I get no respect. I show up at the bar, I ask when Happy Hour starts and they tell me..."When you leave."

Corporate Chimp

We certainly encourage all our employees vote in the upcoming Presidential Election. Who you vote for is your decision, but we're offering pizza in the break room if you vote for our founder...J Fred Muggs...as a write-in.

Why certainly!

Our customer service representatives at Cardinal Couple Worldwide Enterprises ( A division of Don Paulie Enterprises and Bud Goode Marketing) benefited from the recent seminar they attended. At least they said they did. We have reason to believe they all ended up at Nick's Smoothie Bar for the day after the Opening Remarks....

Our mission statement:

CARDINAL COUPLE reports on UofL women's sports and athletics and attempts to do it from a fan's perspective. WE are not a official part or department of the University of Louisville, but they do give us a lot of help and information for our site. WE also cover local horse-racing, too. That's a passion WE both share nearly as strongly as going to Louisville athletic events. WE dedicate another website for that. www.paulsykes.com

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(WE ARE NOT a bird-watching site, 'swingers' site, information for Stanford University or any Catholic hierachy. WE don't even like "holier than thou" people much.)

WE are a lot of information and fun, though...and WE invite you to join us for daily update. No fees, no registration, no tracking or cookies (although WE like Macadamia Nut ones).

WE'LL never "spam" you but we'd be glad to sit down and have a spam sandwich with you. As long as you're buying.

What you'll find here are observations and comments on UofL women's sports with occasional other topics, sidebars, diversions and the wackiness that WE'RE known for. Enjoy!

Also, be advised that some of the sections on the right side of this site are parody and OUR sophomoric attempts at humor. Don't worry, WE'RE not quitting our day jobs...and Timmy the Intern isn't real or work for us...

The Surgeon General (or maybe he's just a Private) recommends 2 daily doses of CARDINAL COUPLE for better overall health and happiness. WE'RE smiling, how about you?

These are our principles and if you don't like them...well, WE'VE got others...

-Groucho Marx

A whop bop a lu la....whop bam boom~

(The above statements may not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of all the writers, columnists and sponsors that appear on this website. Eschew Obfuscation, we say. If WE listened to some of our readers and radio show listeners...WE'D concentrate solely on UofL WBB. )

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-The management and staff of CARDINAL COUPLE-

About the owners

( Thanks to Kenny B. for this write up of CARDINAL COUPLE) --CARDINAL COUPLE is owned by Paul and Sonja Sykes. And this means? Started in DECEMBER 2009, this site is primarily dedicated to womens' athletics at UofL. Other stuff appears here also. Paul and Sonja are both employed in full time jobs not related to the site and run it as a hobby, passion and commitment to the 'joyous excitement that is Cardinal Womens' Athletics.' It isn't always easy, but they try to stay fresh, relevant and timely. Paul is in marketing, Sonja a public school employee. It's worth a daily read. With 5 writers and a cast of imaginary characters, CARDINAL COUPLE is unique as far as sports websites go. I tried to sit down with them for a more in-depth interview but Sonja refused to comment on the site other than noting "It's all Paul. I smile and grin a lot. That's important to know and I want that on the record in case the feds ever raid us." Paul refused to grant me an interview either, matter-of-factly telling me that he's holding out for an appearance on the Jon Stewart Show or Cake Wars. He also suggested I watch the movie "No Time For Sergeants" or the classic bit "Who's On First?" to gain a better insight and knowledge concerning his thought process. Regardless, I recommend CARDINAL COUPLE and give it four out of five stars. After all, it is women's sports. We dig Timmy the Intern and glad to see that William Frawley has resurfaced -- even if it's only in the mind of Paul. They provide links, have a comments section but no message board. You can find it at www.cardinalcouple.com and it is updated daily. Their liberal usage of pictures and photos helps break up the monotony of reading long stretches of print. Couple on, Cardinals!

About the photos...

CARDINAL COUPLE uses photos from all sources in the daily columns that we present to you. If we've used a photo you have taken and want published credit it for it...just contact us and we'll be glad to do so. Shoot, we might even write a feature article about you and call your Mom and tell her what a good son or daughter you are. WE avoid pictures that may be subject to copywrite. Our legal advisors are busy enough chasing ambulances and wheelchairs when they're not trying to figure out trifecta plays at Churchill. Some of the photos are actually taken by the staff of CARDINAL COUPLE. (When we can get the camera away from the chimps). Paul uses his cell phone to take pictures, too. You have been warned. Please realize that the captions that go with the photos are sometimes parodies. It's up to you to figure out which ones are and aren't. We can't spoon feed everything to you, you know... Congratulations if you made it this far in your reading! We know...reading stuff like this can be pretty boring but WE have to put it on the site somewhere so that we can say..."hey, there is disclaimer on the site" in case some bozo decides that they want to sue us or something. Like we have any money. We're so poor we can't even pay attention. We even owe bums money.

I was walking down this road once years ago and I saw this guy chopping down a tree. It was hot, the guy was really sweating and I stopped to watch a while. He finally took a break, cracked a can of beer and then asked me if I had a gun. I hesitated before answering but finally told him that I didn't. He said: "That's a darn shame. I'm cutting down this tree because it's my neighbor's and I'm really pissed off at him right now. I was going to just shoot his sorry a$$..but I decided to do this instead. I'm having second thoughts...though." Somtimes, there just aren't enough trees... (I've never chose that particular walking route since..) .

If I'd taken a picture of that guy working on that tree, I'd been glad to share it with the entire world. That's the way WE see other photos out there. Share 'em and create through exposure and appreciation. We provide credit to the photographer when we feel it's needed. We also pay our taxes on time...